balthazar

This brings up a timely question for me, as I just swapped in new batteries on my 2500HD : do any diesel cars use dual batteries ?? I too think the 6.6 is too large physically. If indeed this is the DuraMax proposed above, also far too heavy. AFA going all diesel in europe- I also agree that it need to be a mix of gas & diesel.

"Junkyard" - what's that ?? I am on the trail of an 'abandoned' yard in PA- in the online video shows an intriquing custom-bodied sports car ALA Corvette-sized. And I really should get back to this place- maybe more towards winter... It had a very unique circa '48 Buick converted into a tow truck- amazing vehicle, I have actually seen pics of one other like it. It's in the row just north of that bisecting tree line...

'More extreme, less attractive' = agree. 'plain' or 'ugly' = disagree.

Just as people will drive miles out of their way to buy gas for 5 cents cheaper (15 gals = 75 cents saved! ), people will also balk at spending double/quart or more what conventional oil costs, esp if 'forced' to do so. Not everyone will, the question is- how many?

I disagree with the piece's contention that the Plainsman is "plain". It's biggest perceptional disadvantage is the color, but the design both in & out is easily in step with '55-56 ChryCo designs, Exner or otherwise. Look at the '55 Falcon- a beautiful design, but one that can also be called 'plain', in fact moreso than the Plainsman. It's just tough to make a comparatively aspirational wagon design, even in the '50s. The Safari nails it, albeit in a blockier, gaudier execution. The degree of the Plainsman's anonymity is the biggest factor in holding back it's value- not it's design.

>>"Even recently, last trip was just under 2 hours for me at Mays Landing."<< South Brunswick - last visit was maybe 10 minutes. Not a practical option for you distance-wise, granted... -- -- -- -- -- >>"My truck's current inspection us up tommorow... so what I want to kno is- can I scrape the sticker out of the window now??"<< >>"Still have emissions testing, so don't scrape that out too quickly..."<< Should've specified - I have a non-commercial diesel over 8501 lbs GVWR- exempt according to state. I should be able to remove the sticker... but I'll leave it in for now.

I haven't 'sat in lines for hours' for many years after learning the ins-n-outs of a local, rural state agency- so no complaints there. My truck's current inspection us up tommorow... so what I want to kno is- can I scrape the sticker out of the window now?? This gets me more mindful of getting the COE on the road.... If only they didn't implement this 20 yrs ago- the mayhem I could've caused.

Suddenly, it's 1985.

"If subaru wants to be taken seriously, they need to get of the cladding."

I have no complaints RE the wife's 2.4L / 6-spd 'bu out on the highway. Smooth & quiet, has reserve if you need it.

What- the air doesn't flow over the roof otherwise ?

The bad : possibly the worst factory rims, ever. I see the front overhang is exactly the same; ummm- yay tradition ?? The good : I always liked the red accent in the GTI grilles. Very nice shots. The question : why do the A-pillars extend past the windshield- can't be good for aero ??

Gosh; Numan looks so angry. Cool cover- love FF & both the cover & original.

Not bad outside today- keeping out of the sun there was a actual, fairly refreshing breeze. How far inland do the 'ocean breezes' blow- current job is relatively close...

g-wagon, the sprinter, the minivan, and the upcoming FWD models should not wear the mercedes caltrop- put the trucks under freightliner and the puddlejumpers under smart or create another brand. it's a steady downslope of downmarketing, all because mercedes is ravenously hungry for volume... at the expense of image.

And I have a feeling it's more like 'sell 1 million/yr retail and .4 million fleet'... or something like that. I watched as my Silverado sailed past a 'g-wagon' the other day on the highway. It's 2010, and this things still has giant, visible rubber gaskets where the lights screw to the body, black plastic moldings, black plastic door handles- it's easily the biggest anachronism in the auto industry. Last make to have such poor, outdated body hardware 'engineering' was jaguar- and that's YEARS ago by now. How anyone is supposed to 'drink in the aura' of a s-class on the same showroom floor as this WW2-era mail jeep is beyond me.

I am deathly afraid to get the next electric bill...

mercedes recently celebrated it's 25th million vehicle sold since 1945 (unusual starting point, what about since 1926 ??). The vehicle was an e-class sedan, sold in a fleet sale to a taxi company. That pretty much sweeps the BS froth off the top and gets right down to the murky gist of it, IMO.

>>"Cadillac's goal by 2014 seems to be to compete with the Lexus IS, ES, GS, RX and LX570, so basically the lower 2/3 of Lexus."<< Unfortunately, that is what lexus is concentrating on, for that is the brand's bread & butter. Like it or not, Lexus is primarily a truck brand- the RX carries the entire brand and the ES is about half that. The rest are niche-level volumes. 'flagship this' and 'supersnit that' aren't moving any other lexus models any because the brand is so muddled.

WRT smk4565 ~ Ahhh- you did not counter my faux quote of you, excellent to see a slight measure of consistancy (in a realistic way) creeping in! So we agree- toyoyo's heavier engines are due to poor engineering. Glad that's settled. smk4565 ~ >>"So aside from the very boring styling and unintended acceleration, their engineering is in front of GM's (or Ford's or Chrysler's) in many ways."<< Not in the way of metallurgy, body integrity, frame longevity, weld penetration, transmission quality, front suspension engineering, electrical issues, corrosion resistance... and the host of other reasons toyoyo has recalled nearly TWENTY MILLION vehicles in the last decade. Big difference between gushing PR prose and real world engineering quality. >>"The Lexus LS460 is 58-60 decibels at 70 mph (depending on the test), no GM car is close to that. The Lexus at full throttle has been measured at 65-70 DBA, so they must have gotten something right with that V8."<< Or the level of insulation in the car- those decibel measurements are made from INSIDE the passenger compartment. And no doubt there is hundreds of pounds of insulation & rubber seals in that near 5000 lb car.

What's 'good' and how much it costs are seldom on the same side of the scale is all I'm saying. And; that somewhere there's a bottom line to every scenario. I'm NOT saying tankless systems are inherantly bad- they sound good on paper, but supposedly tankless only post a 20-22% advatange over the the 'huge, wasteful, obsolete' tank systems. Sure- that sounds considerable, and everything else being equal (is it ever??)- no one can legitimately argue against it. But what is the cost and when do you break even against the tank system ?? IMO, cost per longevity are paramount to 'being green'. There's so much rampant 'green' hypocrisy that at times it's hard to take the cause seriously/consistantly. That said, I am rather environmentally conservative, I think (outside of what I drive/own).

dwightlooi ~ >>"GM 3.6L DOHC DI V6 = 194 kg GM 6.2L IBC V8 = 183 kg Ford 5.0L DOHC V8 = 195 kg BMW 4.0L DOHC V8 = 202 kg Lexus 5.0L DOHC DI V8 = 222 kg Lexus 3.5L DOHC DI V8 = 174 kg"<< :P

That's it: I asked my B-I-L about a unit for my house, slightly over 2000 sq ft. Going rate for HVA/C work is $175 to show up & $75/hr labor. Plus you kno they're doubling parts costs (AT LEAST). Don't forget- in an existing house, besides the new plumbing necc, they are taking out the OLD unit. New construction would be cheaper.

Well, of course they did... but many people have no issues calling 'the other 45%' "no competition", so I rolled with it.

I have never heard of electric heating in any capacity to be cheaper or even competitive with gas. houseneeds.com (random googling) claims electric tankless are NOT eligible for the tax credit. Taking the tax off the purchase/installation (gas tankless) helps, sure, but you are still looking at over a decade to 'get ahead' financially... if the unit lasts that long. Then, dedicated to the tankless system, you face another much-more-than-a-tank bill all over again- likely withOUT the tax credit then. It's just not abundantly clear if it works out to save you money or not. I like the idea of tankless, but the reliabilty/longevity is unknown to me, and I'm not switching over if the ante' stays anywhere in the neighborhood it's in.